If that's the case, John, then what do you think the course of action should
be for pastors and church leaders when it comes to this question? What
should they be saying, how should they be saying it, etc?

> The problem with this is that if we can't do any better than three mutually
> exclusive datasets in a world where their choice will make or break their
> career, then I agree with them in their decision to leave the church.
>
> If pastors and the church can't figure this out then I don't blame anyone
> for not having any respect for them and not trusting them.
>
> They are not only not relevant but actually counterproductive by
> obfuscating what should be a cut and dried issue.
>
> I count myself among these you are lamenting and I put the onus on the
> church to be the solution.
>
> Thanks
>
> John
>
> On Sat Aug 8th, 2009 10:39 PM EDT James Patterson wrote:
>
> >It seems to me that this baby/bathwater problem is even more serious right
> >now because of a seemingly growing inclination among many of the young to
> >instantly turn off the voice of (respect for) anyone who self-compromises
> >their message by uttering something that immediately registers as untrue,
> is
> >accompanied by an unwelcome (to the hearer) agenda, or fails to connect
> >however tenuously with the questions floating around in the hearer's
> >recently discovered and dynamically growing internal worldview.
> >
> >
> >
> >Jim, agreed.
> >
> >
> >
> >One thing my wife has mentioned several times, with which I agree, and
> that
> >gets back to the "are they really a Christian if they leave the Church"
> >issue. Many of these young adults go and taste the world, and find it
> >distasteful. It does not sit well with what is written on their hearts.
> They
> >gain perspective, insight, learn to see that man and the Church are not
> >perfect. Some also learn in time that, despite its problems, the Church is
> >(vastly) better in an imperfect form than no Church at all.
> >
> >
> >
> >I know that's what happened with me.
> >
> >
> >
> >Despite all our debate about how God did it, we agree that God created us.
> >We really should be able to figure out a way to provide to young people
> >convincing evidence that - despite the fact that we can't agree on HOW -
> he
> >DID create us. The problem is that they (the "average" college student)
> need
> >evidence.and we have (at least) three different datasets.
> >
> >
> >
> >James Patterson
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Sun Aug 9 14:27:02 2009